Loebsack sees 'Make America Work' agenda as starting point for progress

Tired of the  

“partisan food fights “ Congress has come to be known by, U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack has signed on to a bipartisan legislative package he thinks will make government more efficient and effective, and less wasteful. 

Loebsack was among 43 Democrats who joined 37 Republicans and an independent to endorse the No Labels  “Make Government Work” legislative agenda that includes measures such as the No Budget, No Pay Act, which he co-sponsored. It would withhold congressional pay if both chambers of Congress fail to agree on a budget.

 ^{“This group has grown out of the frustration we're hearing from constituents that they are frustrated that things are not getting done,” said Loebsack, who represents the southeast Iowa 2nd}

District.  “There's a craving among public for accountability and to make sure Congress is doing its job.”

A recent Gallup Poll found Americans identified dissatisfaction with Congress and “poor leadership/corruption/abuse of power” as the country's biggest non-economic problems. In both cases, the percentage of those polled identifying those issues has increased since the beginning of the year.

The legislative agenda is a project of No Labels, which describes itself as a bipartisan group trying to promote “a new politics of problem-solving.” Although Loebsack is the only member of the Iowa congressional delegation to sign on to the “Make Government Work” agenda, other Iowa congressmen have supported some of the proposals.

The legislative package is a good place to start, said Loebsack, a former college political science professor seeking re-election to a fifth term. If members start talking across the aisle about these issues it should help break down the lack of trust between the political parties in Congress, especially at the leadership level where the focus is on keeping and gaining the majority, Loebsack said.

“It's about establishing trust,” he said. “I've done what I can to work across the aisle, so it was natural to be a part of this.”

He understands the public might be skeptical of still another attempt to forge bipartisanship in Congress. However, Loebsack is encouraged by the fact 81 members of the House and Senate signed on to the No Labels legislative package.

“I'm looking around and it's not just folks in the middle of the road on policy,” he said. “Some are further left then I am. Many are much further to the right.”

The legislative agenda is a small step lawmakers can build on. Making government more efficient and work better is a concept most people can agree on, he said.

“It would be a ‘Hail Mary' if this group tried to solve the debt issue all at once or resolve budget issues in the next year,” Loebsack said. “We just want to get members together, to talk to one another a little more formally and to make proposals. Then we can move on to the bigger issues.”

The No Labels approach appears to have public support. A recent poll by YouGov.com found Americans want members of Congress to be more willing to compromise. Over the past two years there has been a 10 percent increase among both Republicans and Democrats who want members of Congress to compromise.

“People want us to do this. Iowans want us to do this,” Loebsack said. “If we don't start this process, we will never make progress.”

The Make Government Work! Legislative Package

• The No Budget, No Pay Act would withhold congressional pay if both chambers of Congress fail to agree on a budget and all spending bills by the start of every federal fiscal year.
• The Take the Time, Save the Dime Act would establish a two-year “biennial” budgeting cycle for the U.S. government.
• The Don't Duplicate, Consolidate Act would consolidate fragmented, overlapping and duplicative programs identified by the Government Accountability Office.
• The Buy Smarter and Save Act would save taxpayers billions of dollars a year by encouraging more strategic sourcing and bulk purchasing across federal agencies.
• The No Adding, No Padding Act would force federal agencies to justify increases in their budgets by removing inflation as a factor in automatically increasing agency budgets.
• The 21st Century Healthcare for Heroes Act, introduced by would improve the medical care military veterans receive by combining the electronic health records of the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.
• The Stay in Place, Cut the Waste Act would cut federal agency travel by 50 percent and replace it with video conferencing.
• The Wasted Energy, Wasted Dollars Act would make federal buildings more efficient by partnering with companies that would then be paid out of the energy savings achieved by their work.
• The Plan for Efficient and Effective Government Act would create a new bipartisan commission to oversee and effect the transformation of various federal government programs and functions to be more economical, efficient and effective.